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Former champion New Zealand apprentice Jason Collett has designs on a successful Group One homecoming on Saturday.

The 25-year-old will chase his first success at the highest level when he teams up with the Stephen Ramsay and Julia Ritchie-trained Rasa Lila in the Windsor Park Plate.

“I’ve had four Group One seconds so it would be great to get one,” Collett said.

“She looks like she’s going to be a good chance. I had a look at her form and she was pretty impressive at the latter end of her last preparation.”

Collett said he accepted the ride on Rasa Lila, extended by owner Sir Peter Vela’s Director of Racing Lee Freedman, after an unfortunate injury to one of his regular Sydney rides.

“I had a filly called Honesty Prevails who I was going to ride in the Flight Stakes, but in the first race of the Princess series she had a problem with her knee so she’s gone out.

“I didn’t have any strong commitments this weekend in Sydney so I accepted the offer.”

Collett will also be aboard Rasa Lila’s stablemate Silver Eclipse in the L I Redshaw Memorial and Graham Richardson’s Babe in the Group 3 Hawke’s Bay Breeders’ Gold Trail Stakes.

His first ride will be Boxachocolates for Mike Breslin in the Stella Artois 1400 and his book is completed by the John Wheeler-trained Pentathlon in the AON Insurance Brokers 2000.

Collett served much of his time with his father Richard at Pukekohe before he won a scholarship for a stint in Sydney in 2011 with leading trainer Chris Waller.

He returned home to be the champion apprentice of the 2011-12 season, but had made enough of an impression on Waller to be lured back for another spell and Collett is now firmly established in the senior riding ranks there.